Ben Gvir says he’ll return to government if PM implements Trump’s Gaza transfer plan
‘The ball is now in the hands of the prime minister,’ Otzma Yehudit leader says. ‘Impossible to carry out a transfer without committing war crimes,’ warns Ra’am chief Mansour Abbas
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

Former national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced on Wednesday that the odds of his far-right Otzma Yehudit party rejoining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition went up significantly in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s call to resettle the Palestinians of Gaza.
“I haven’t sewn a new ministerial suit yet, but there is no doubt that the chances of Otzma Yehudit returning to the government have increased,” the ultranationalist politician told Galey Israel Radio.
Hosting Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, Trump reiterated his proposal, roundly rejected by Arab nations, to permanently relocate the Palestinians living in the decimated coastal enclave.
“I think that Gaza is a demolition site right now,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, with Netanyahu seated beside him, ahead of their high-stakes meeting on the future of the region.
“If you look at Gaza, there’s hardly a building standing. And the ones that are, are going to collapse. You can’t live in Gaza right now. I think we need another location, a location that’s going to make people happy.”
In a joint press conference with Netanyahu after their meeting, Trump again insisted the Palestinians “have no alternative” but to leave the “big pile of rubble” that is Gaza after over 15 months of Israeli bombardment — and declared his desire for the United States to “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip.

“The ball is now in the hands of the prime minister,” Ben Gvir said in response to Trump’s proposal. “As soon as we start and there is an intention to implement it – I’m back.”
He added, “I don’t want to expand on this talk, there are already plans.”
The far-right leader, who has long advocated for what he calls “voluntary migration” from the Gaza Strip paired with renewed Israeli settlement building there, said that it is not the time for “petty politics.”
“We have a huge opportunity and we must not miss it. Even before October 7, I encouraged emigration and they mocked me… It is time to implement and promote it,” he said, without responding directly to Trump’s statement that he didn’t support Israel reestablishing settlements in Gaza.
“There were those who worked on it in Israel long before and earned nicknames like ‘messianic and delusional,’ so now is the time to move on to implementation.”
Ben Gvir’s party left the coalition last month after Israel agreed to a ceasefire agreement with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. All three of his party’s ministries were entrusted on a temporary basis to Tourism Minister Haim Katz of Likud, in what was widely believed to be a signal to Ben Gvir that the portfolios are waiting for him, should he wish to return to the coalition.
Ministerial celebration
Trump’s comments on Gaza were also welcomed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said that “together, we will make the world great again” — a play on Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.
The far-right minister — who had previously called on Israel to occupy Gaza and “encourage” half of the Strip’s 2.2 million Palestinians to emigrate within two years — has expressed strong enthusiasm for Trump’s plan, telling reporters that he was working on an “operational plan” to turn it into actionable policy.
“The plan presented yesterday by President Trump is the true answer to October 7. Those who committed the most terrible massacre on our land will find themselves losing their land forever,” Smotrich declared in a video message.

“Now we will act to finally bury, with God’s help, the dangerous idea of a Palestinian state,” he continued, praising both Trump and Netanyahu and saying that recent developments justified his decision to stay in the government, unlike Ben Gvir, despite his opposition to the ceasefire.
Other ministers were also enthusiastic about Trump’s statements, which included a declaration that he would likely be “making an announcement” in the coming weeks as to whether or not he’d back Israel annexing the West Bank.
“This is what happens when two brave leaders meet,” wrote Transportation Minister Miri Regev.
Energy Minister Eli Cohen said it is a “historic morning for the State of Israel, the Middle East, and the world” while Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana described it as “the dawn of a new day.”
“We have a great Prime Minister and an amazing American President! Thank God for this miracle He performed for the people of Israel,” enthused Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar.
In a lengthy post on X, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi wrote that Trump had made “it clear who truly stands with the State of Israel – not in slogans, but in deeds.”
Karhi argued that Trump’s announcements meant victory in Gaza, Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank, the movement of Gazans abroad and peace with Saudi Arabia “without immoral concessions.”

Trump stated on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia was no longer insisting on a diplomatic horizon for the establishment of a Palestinian state as a precondition for normalization. However, this was quickly rejected by Riyadh, which called its support for a two-state solution “firm and unwavering.”
‘War crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide’
In a guarded statement, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid said that Trump and Netanyahu’s joint appearance had been “a good press conference for the State of Israel” without endorsing any of the US president’s policies.
“We will have to study the details to understand what the plan is in Gaza,” Lapid told Army Radio, adding that he intends to present “a supplementary plan to the Americans” during his own planned visit to Washington at the end of the month.
“The role of the Israeli leadership is to present plans, not just wait for the Americans,” he continued, calling on the ceasefire deal to be “completed until the end, including phase two.”
Lapid went on to praise Trump for the Abraham Accords, stating that he deserved a Nobel for brokering them and that “if there is a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia, he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for it” as well.
However, Lapid took issue with Trump’s decision to use sanctions against Iran, arguing that Tehran “is weaker than ever” and that “we may have missed an opportunity to attack Iran.”
National Unity leader Benny Gantz appeared to welcome Trump’s statements, saying they represented “further proof of the deep alliance between the United States and Israel.”

“President Trump has shown, and not for the first time, that he is a true friend of Israel and will continue to stand by it on issues important to strengthening its security,” Gantz said in a statement.
“In his remarks, he presented creative, original and interesting thinking, which must be examined alongside the realization of the goals of the war, giving priority to the return of all the hostages.”
In an apparent rebuke of Gantz, Ra’am party chairman MK Mansour Abbas declared that “the initiative for the transfer of Gaza residents is not ‘creative thinking’ and not a political agenda; it is old Kahanist thinking that normalizes th unacceptable.”
“It is impossible to carry out a transfer without committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide,” Abbas asserted, suggesting that “rational individuals refrain from being dragged into an excursion that will deepen hostility and hatred not only between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.”
“We must find a creative path to hope, reconciliation, and peace between the two peoples, complete the implementation of the agreement’s stages, return the hostages, end the war, and promote a realistic, fair, and humane political solution through peaceful means,” Abbas said.
Jacob Magid and Lazar Berman contributed to this report.